Death in Bali - Denni North

DESPITE the mysterious circumstances, Bali police say it is too early to determine whether the death of Denni North, the 33-year-old woman found dead in a Bali villa, is suspicious.

North Kuta Police chief Aldi Alfa said that no suspicious bruises or obvious signs of assault were found on the body of Ms North when it was discovered on Sunday morning.

Police requested a medical examination to determine the exact cause of the Queensland woman’s death, and are still trying to locate and question the friends who found her.

Dr Dudut Restiadi from Denpasar’s Sanglah Hospital said the preliminary examination revealed only a few minor and non-fatal scratches, and the cause of death could not be determined without a full autopsy.

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‘‘We could perform the autopsy today or tomorrow. We are just waiting for written instruction from the police,’’ he said on Wednesday, adding that the hospital had been instructed not to release the body to the family yet.

Ms North’s father, Dennis, said he had not spoken to his globe-trotting daughter in four years – a fact he deeply regretted – but kept abreast of her movements via Facebook. ‘‘She had itchy feet,’’ he said.

He is now desperate to know what led to his daughter’s death.

‘‘She was found alone – that’s the only thing I know – slumped in the pool,’’ he said. ‘‘I’m trying to find out as much as I can, but I guess I’ve got to be patient ... No one’s got any answers or anything yet.’’

Her sister Tammy, brother Jamie and her cousin Nicole have travelled to Bali in a bid to discover what led to Ms North’s death and eventually escort her body home.

According to Kadek Suarjana, a security guard at Campuan Villa where Ms North had lived alone for two months and where she was found face down in the swimming pool, she returned to the private villa late on Sunday morning with three expat friends.

The security guard said they arrived at the villa at 3am and her friends discovered the body face down in the pool at 9am on Sunday. What happened in between is entirely unclear.

The body was immediately taken to Sanglah Hospital, but police were not notified until January 1 – two days after the discovery – when they were informed by the villa’s security guards, rather than Ms North’s friends.

Described by her friends as outgoing and full of life, Ms North had been employed by the upmarket Cocoon beach club as a public relations executive for two months.

Hundreds have expressed their condolences on the Facebook page ‘‘RIP Denni North’’, describing her as an angel gone before her time.

Police say they are making arrangements to repatriate the body to Australia following the physical examination.